Shepherds Hill

The sleepy little one stop light town of Shepherds Hill had gone pretty much unnoticed since its date of incorporation July twelfth eighteen eighty four. Today’s date was July ninth nineteen eighty four. A large celebration had been scheduled for in the next three days. But the big news was the arrival of the new preacher. The whole town was a buzz about who he was what did he look like. It had been said miracles followed wherever he went.

         But the good folks of Shepherd’s hill did not know what the next three days were going to bring how could they. There were shopkeepers, police, and a doctor post office. They used to have a school, but it burned down last year and was a total loss they had not had time to rebuild it yet. They can't prove it but ever one knows it was Tommy brown that was holding the match in his hand. Yes the good folks of Shepherds Hill had all the things you’d expect but the one thing they did not have was a fortuneteller. Not yet anyway.

The tree-lined sidewalks of Main Street were unusually busy this morning. There were actually people sitting on the benches scattered along the two blocks that they considered the business district of town. No body on the town council except for old man Jackson thought they needed to spend the money on the benches. Well, where ever he is now, he would be pleased. Everyone else who was not sitting on the benches was heading for the prime time dinner. "This was new" I thought. A line of folks who were waiting outside to get a table had formed just at the front door and continued half way down the block.

All in all it was pretty much typical for anytime a sizable crowd gathered. Kids running in and out of line yelling and laughing the parents were getting somewhat stressed trying to keep them in place. As a cop nearing the end of his career shepherds Hill was the place to be. Why I remember that last year we had a real crime spree. I could not get the kids to stop spitting their gum on the sidewalks. Not really that big of a problem until Ms. Rose Johnson easily the richest lady in town stepped in a freshly deposited bit of the sticky substance. So as you can probably tell none of the good folks of Shepherds Hill was prepared for was to come, neither was I. Finale I made it to the front of the line.

“Hi Sheriff, want your usual? ” “Yes, and have you seen somebody looking for me? ” “You talking about the new preacher? Yea I already put him at your table. ” “Thanks Gail you’re a little busy today. ” “Tell me something I don’t know. I’ll bring your food in a Few minutes. ” I carefully looked around the room occasionally nodding to the others in the room who wanted my attention but I didn’t have time today to hear about a cat stuck up a tree.

Then I saw him. I do not know what all the talk was about he didn’t look all that great just looked like any other man.  He looked to stand about six feet tall, brown hair, brown eyes. I did notice one thing I did not expect there, was a Cain leaning against his side of the table. Just another trick to get “ donations” from his flock. I continued making my way over to the table dodging the occasional food missiles that were launched when a child decided that they no longer liked the stuff.

“Pastor Greene? ” I asked. He laid his fork down and stuck his hand out expecting me to do the same. “I see you noticed the Cain, you know the word of God tells that we all have our cross to bear. Sheriff don’t let the sometimes necessary trappings of this world deceive you.” 

At some distance down the road two dark figures were slowly making their way to the town of Shepherds Hill. The wind was blowing what long stringy hair they had. Both were dressed all in black from head to toe. The first one stood ever bit of eight feet tall with a set of black wings that if you could get close enough to see them you could tell that they had been torn in many a battle with who or what only he knew the answer to that. And there were green pulsating veins that ran throughout each wing. They were five feet in length with a span of nine feet when completely unfolded.

The second of the visitors stood a full three feet shorter than the first one and his wings curled in on them self’s so that none were visible. With out warning the taller one let out a bellow stopping the second in his tracks and caused him to spin around so that he was now facing the first one.          

“the master wants to know what the hold is. ” “Hold up? There is no hold up my Lord” the second one snorts. “You tell him everything is going just fine. ” The second one knew that the words he spoke next needed to be choosing carefully. “What you had better worry about. ”, He said as he turned his back on the first one. “Is your side of the operation.”

The first one growled loudly from way down on the inside. “turning your back on me is not a very intelligent thing to do Oren. You know that I could rip you open with a single swipe of my claw?  And then! ” Oren spins around and gets up in the face of the first one. "“And then what? First one! ” Oren bows slightly at the waist mocking his authority. “You see first one you do not weld the power that you thought you once did. ” Oren gets even closer to the first ones face. “But don’t worry, I do not want your Title. ” With a snap of his wings Oren moves back two steps and continues “not yet, with time that also will come. All that matters now is that we do the bidding of the master. And his will is that the humans be stopped.

Oren folded his wings back tight against his body. “And we have a lot of work to do and time is short. We received word that is a small church in the town ahead and they think they can pray down the spirit of their God to stop us. We must stop that before that happens. That church in town has just hired a new preacher if we can elmat him this problem will go away and if others are removed also well all the better. ” And just how do you plan to do that?” “accidents happen all the time sometimes with a little help from. ” Oren stops in mid sentence and stares at the first one with the fires of hell blazing in his eyes. He snorts a short blast of putrid stench out of his nostrils. “I know you first one, don’t think the others will come to your aid. You see there are no others. You have destroyed any support you may have once had.”

The first one lunges towards Oren and growls as he lifts his claw and strikes at Oren catching a glancing blow off the smaller ones wing. “You think you’ve won this? You do not know what you have started here today.” “Oh first one don’t you understand or are you really that ignorant? ” the first one stands there every muscle twitching. “Even the master knows of your treasonous actions. The master has taken his protection from you. You fool even the humans could destroy you with the help of that God of theirs. I was not ready to go this far with you, not yet. But you give me no choice. We must get to the next town, that church down there full of humans and they are about to come together and start praying to their God. We must stop them!”

Oren spins around and starts walking down the road. Slowly transforming in the most beautiful creature you have ever seen with every step he took. “From now on you will follow, not lead. ” The former first one bows slightly at the waste “Yes first one. I am sorry.”